


Stay With Me

by Ella (ellabellachicketychella)



Series: why do the stars shine so bright [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, He Like Almost Decks Lance, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Injury, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mild Blood, Pre-Relationship, Team Voltron Family, Texan Keith (Voltron), Torture, it's not that bad keith is fine but it's still there and it's stressful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellabellachicketychella/pseuds/Ella
Summary: It was supposed to be an easy in and out mission, which was simple enough, Keith had done them plenty of times, with plenty of people, including Lance. It wasn't even a high priority mission. But alas, if your name if Keith Kogane never expect anything to go right, because nothing did go right.---“C’mon Shiro. What’s the worst that can happen? We get double crossed and kidnapped by Galra and die?”Everyone shifted uncomfortably.“Don’t jinx it.” Keith groaned.
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: why do the stars shine so bright [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979423
Comments: 13
Kudos: 184





	Stay With Me

Keith woke up with a start, sitting up and listening, straining his ears for the slightest noise that may have woken him up. Then he opened his eyes and was met with bright blue eyes and before he could stop himself Keith yelled.

“What are you doing?” Keith tucked the blanket to himself, even though he was wearing clothes and there was nothing to hide. He felt vulnerable. Everyone knew that Keith’s bedroom was an off-limits zone. Unless you were invited in you had to stay out. It was one of the unspoken rules, like don’t wake up Shiro unless the world is ending, or don’t call Pidge, Katie unless you want a broken rib. 

Lance clapped his hands together, “Look, we thought you got captured. So I think I’m allowed to check on you.”

“Captured?”

“Keith, you slept in. Shiro was freaking out, no one thought to check your room. They’re all at the training deck freaking out.”

“Why would I be captured?” Keith threw the blanket off of him, before grabbing his jacket which was on his drawers. Lance stared at the newly added photo, of the team minus Pidge. At a movie night not too long ago. “What are you doing?”

Lance glanced at Keith, before looking back at the photo. “You have a photo of us?”

“Well… yeah?”

The smile that lit up on his face told Keith all he needed to know. “Why’d you sleep in? It’s like noon space-time.”

Keith paused mid-stride. Searching through his brain for a reason he overslept. Normally he was the first one up, and on the training deck before anyone else was even thinking of waking up. Sleeping in while not unusual as such, was weird.

He shrugged, putting his jacket on as the door opened. Lance started speaking, throwing his hands around like he often did. Only hitting Keith in the face once, which was better than usual. “Then Marco—”

“Pushed you down the stairs and you broke your leg,” Keith finished for him casually as he zipped up his jacket. Before realising his jacket looked stupid zipped up and unzipping it. “You’ve told me that one before.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you actually listen to me?” Lance asked, pausing and looking at Keith. Who gave one, curt nod. “Holy shit. I thought I’d just ramble and you’d tune it out.”

“I do know a lot about your family now,” Keith replied, with a straight face. Lance just shook his head and walked a bit faster, which Keith caught up to quickly. They turned into the training deck.

Five pairs of eyes landed on him. “Keith!” Pidge yelled before bounding forward and hugging him. “We thought you got captured.”

“Yeah…” Keith pat Pidge on the back a few times. “Why is that?”

“We didn’t know where you were,” Shiro supplied, “And we kinda freaked out.”

“We?” Pidge repeated. Letting go of Keith and twirling around to look at Shiro. “By we, you do mean Lance and you right?” She turned around to Keith. “They were freaking, Allura and Hunk were like, ‘he’s probably just sleeping’ and then Lance and Shiro were like, ‘he’s currently dying right now’.”

Keith glanced at Lance who just glared back in return. 

“Then that freaked out Hunk and Coran started worrying. Meanwhile me and Allura were the only logical ones and we were gonna go check your room but Lance had called dibs.”

Again, Keith glanced at Lance, who again, glared before muttering something under his breath in Spanish. As Pidge rolled her eyes. Allura cleared her throat and all eyes glanced towards her,

“Well… Keith is alive and very not-captured. So everyone can go about their usual business.”

Keith’s usual business generally involved roaming and beating up the gladiators on the training deck. It sometimes involved pestering his friends and even more often involved him brooding until someone found him.

He used to basically live on the training deck, and he’d still be happy to do so. But with his various friends around it was hard to brood for too long before someone would make him smile or laugh.

Today Keith grabbed a book, and his helmet (for translating purposes) before sitting in the middle of a hallway. Becoming absorbed into the book, not even noticing the footsteps behind him and the hand on his shoulder.

Jumping, Keith grabbed his bayard which extended and he spun around. Lance was there, smiling despite the sword at his neck. “Hey, Keith.”

“Oh, hi.” Keith put his sword down and it went back to not being a sword. So he didn’t cut off Lance’s head. Which was always good, because while Lance may not have used his head a lot. It still was quite necessary.

“Do you always try and chop people’s heads off?” Lance asked, pulling Keith’s helmet off his head. “Because, that doesn’t exactly seem polite.” He handed it back to Keith who tucked it under his arm. “I’m not an expert in manners or anything, but—” 

“It’s tradition in many cultures,” Keith responded, “Your hoodie is inside out.”

Lance was wearing the hoodie-jacket and t-shirt he normally wore. Except this time it was inside out, and the stitching was the wrong way. “Oh, thanks.” He took his jacket off and proceeded to wear it the right way.

“So what are you reading?” Lance asked, flinging his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Is it like the last book?”

“No.” Keith mumbled, “But it’s gay.”

“Shock.” Lance deadpanned. “Yeah but like does it have an actual plot or is it just gay?”

“The actual plot is a planet exploding and the main characters are trying to stop that,” Keith responded, handing the book over to Lance who just looked at the cover. “It’s good. Kinda cliche.”

Lance hummed, before handing the book back without even opening it. Starting to walk down the hallway, and because his arm was around Keith’s shoulders he followed, or walked with? Wherever Lance went Keith was by his side.

They stayed quiet for a few seconds, before Lance launched into a story about Lance meeting his sister’s girlfriend for the first time. Apparently someone told a funny joke and Lance had expelled all the water he just had out of his nose and then started vomiting.

“Then Veronica’s girlfriend, who was lovely. Apologised for making me laugh that hard and then that was that. They still tease me about it to this day.” Lance finished and Keith while not laughing was smiling softly. “Remember that for if you ever meet my family, they’d bring it up so quickly.”

“Meeting your family?” Keith repeated in a smug voice.

The panic that flashed across Lance’s face was enough to make Keith need to suppress a huge grin. “I mean yeah,” Lance waved his other hand dismissively, the one that wasn’t still wrapped around Keith’s shoulder. “When we get home, my family has to meet our local emo. The one who threw himself off a cliff and expected me to catch him.”

No one ever shut up about that. On one mission Keith had been running, before seeing Lance on a ledge on the cliff. With enough room to move. _“Lance I need you to catch me.”_

_“What?”_

Then Keith proceeded to throw himself off the cliff and then Lance caught him, sure, Keith may have popped out his shoulder. But the other option was getting murdered by the Galra.

“Honestly, you do that one time, and no one lets you hear the end of it,” Keith said.

“Dude. You threw yourself off a cliff.”

“Yeah, and you caught me.”

“What if I didn’t?” Lance’s tone was forced, trying to stay calm, but Keith could hear something underneath, maybe worry, concern. It was fake enough that it might as well have been in flashing lights that Lance was forcing his tone of voice. 

“You did, you would,” he responded easily, turning his head so he was facing Lance, smiling softly at him. “I trust you.”

“Uh—” Lance retracted his arm. “Yup— yeah, thanks, you too. Wait, no… wait— I uh—” Watching Lance stumble over his words somehow managed to be the funniest thing that happened today. He was normally smoother than this, charming people on different planets in an instant. “I trust you too.”

Keith just smiled, “I’d hope so.”

“Oh shove off mullet, this is why you have no friends.” He shoved Keith away, not violently, more playfully, like a child would.

He laughed because it was true. Pushing Lance back, in the shoulder, he laughed. “What was I supposed to say?”

“You were supposed to faint into my arms, clearly.”

“I’m not indulging in your weird fantasy,” Keith crossed his arms and Lance just glared at him back. “Because unlike whatever you’re imagining I can and will kick your ass.”

“Kinky.” Lance whispered and Keith glared even more. His brow furrowing and his lips pressing into a straight line, which was the only remotely straight thing about him. Keith shoved him in the shoulder a bit harder this time. 

He walked off, “No! Keith!” Lance yelled, as running footsteps came up behind him before there was a weight slammed into Keith’s back. Which he assumed was Lance and the pair of them toppled over, Keith held out his hands as he fell. Before smashing them against the ground.

An uncomfortable weight squeezed the air out of his lungs as it hit him. It felt like all the times his bike fell on top of him, apart from the fact that his bike didn’t yell and wriggle around like Lance was currently doing.

“Get off me,” Keith wheezed, his lungs still recovering from being winded. 

There were boots at his eyeline and Keith craned his neck up to look at Shiro. This angle of him was not flattering at all. Shiro was watching them, an eyebrow raised.

“Hey Shiro!” Lance said, rolling off of Keith, finally and landing on his back. “What are ya doing?”

“What _are_ you doing?” Shiro asked. 

“Lance spear-tackled me,” Keith turned over onto his back too. Aware that he probably looked like a turtle and combined with Lance next to him he knew that the pair of them looked like struggling turtles that had been placed on their backs. 

Shiro just nodded, as if he didn’t quite believe it. “He did!” Keith argued. “What did you think we were doing?”

“Fighting.”

“Fighting?” Lance and Keith repeated in perfect sync. Their tones were exactly the same, disbelieving, somehow sounding like fighting was the last thing either of them wanted to do. Keith glanced at Lance who didn’t meet his gaze and just stared at Shiro. 

Lance pouted a little, directed at Shiro. “Why would we be fighting?”

“You’re always fighting.”

“We are not,” Lance sat up. “In fact, Keith when was the last time we argued?”

“Three seconds ago,” Keith deadpanned and Lance looked at him in a ‘ _seriously? You’re being difficult now’_ way and Keith was, he was indeed being difficult now. Lance rolled his eyes and Keith felt guilt swirl around in his stomach. “It was ages ago,” he corrected. “We haven’t properly argued since probably after I went cliff jumping.”

Shiro’s mouth twisted upwards. It appeared he was trying to think of an example to prove them wrong and scowled when he couldn’t. “Fine, I think that you’re both—”

“Paladins!” Allura’s voice came through the comms, bouncing off the walls of the hallway in a way that would’ve been eerie if it hadn’t been Allura speaking. “Get into your gear.”

Keith scrambled off of the floor and ran into his room. Scrambling for his armour and skin suit. After he’d done that he bolted, down the hallways. Looking at Allura and Coran who were clearly waiting, Allura’s hands were on her hips and she stood taller when she saw Keith.

He was the first one out too, bayard at his side. Helmet in his hands but ready to be shoved over his head.

He skidded to a spot in front of Allura. “What’s wrong?” Keith asked, panting slightly as Hunk and Pidge ran out too, standing next to him. Panting too.

Allura waved a hand, Shiro was out next and shortly after Lance. “What’s wrong?” Shiro asked. “What happened?”

“Paladins, we’ve received an emergency beacon from this planet. It says a group of rebels. At the same time, we have another emergency from the planet over which seems more pressing.” Allura took a deep breath, looking around, before her eyes snapped back to the group.

“The Galra have a slave trade, running from one of the planet. The other planet hasn't been specified, but they say it's a lower priority. I believe that we can split up.”

Everyone glanced at each other, trying to figure out who would go with who, Shiro stepped forward. “Pidge and Hunk and I should go to the Galra. It’s highly likely Pidge and Hunk combined can hack the doors open. I’ll go with them for protection.”

“Lance and Keith go to the rebels, they’re both competent by themselves and while less competent when put together, they can do this.”

Keith looked at Lance, who met his eyes and nodded. Which settled it, Keith didn’t mind working with Lance, he didn’t mind Lance at all. If Keith could get away with an easier job then he had to he would. Even if it made Keith feel slightly uneasy to know that his other friends were going to a slave trade planet. 

“Are you up to it?” Shiro asked.

“C’mon Shiro. What’s the worst that can happen? We get double crossed and kidnapped by Galra and die?”

Everyone shifted uncomfortably. 

“Don’t jinx it.” Keith groaned.

* * *

“You fucking jinxed it!” Keith yelled, ducking under the swing of a sword. “I’m going to kill you Lance McClain!” 

It had started off well. With them hopping in their lions and flying off to the planet which wasn’t too far by. A ten minute flight, in which Lance filled the silence with his endless chattering. This time about his old pet dog, apparently they named him Loaf, because they found him outside of a bakery.

Keith relaxed as Lance chattered happily, you could hear the happiness in his voice. Wrapping and twisting throughout every word, intertwining so that every sound that left his mouth was free and joyful. It did something to Keith’s chest, something that Keith didn’t want to think too much about.

Maybe later he’d think about it. Right now he was going to repress any weird feelings, or probably any feelings. Did he have a crush on Lance? 

_Bad time Kogane. Start pining later._

_Even better! Don’t start pining._

Keith could work with that. He took a deep breath, glancing at the planet in front of them. And at the point they were supposed to be landing that popped up on the screen of his helmet. Lance heard his deep breath, “You good Mullet?”

“Yup.”

“We’ll be fine.”

Oh, how wrong he was.

“We go out to things like this all the time, they probably need something moved with our lions.”

Keith really wished that was what actually happened.

“Do you reckon the others are alright?”

“Yup!” There wasn’t a hint of anything in his voice apart from pure confidence, “They’re all skilled. You however…”

“Hey!”

Lance laughed, and Keith smiled at said laughter. Before realising he was being dumb and forced himself to keep his face blank. “Why do you think they sent the best paladin. That’s me, with you?”

Keith rolled his eyes, even if Lance couldn’t see it. He could feel it through the comms, like right now Keith could feel that Lance was grinning ear-to-ear, like nothing about their lives were wrong.

“True,” Keith murmured, loud enough that he wouldn’t be mad if Lance heard, but soft enough so that he could pretend he never said it if he had to. A fine line, which Keith was trying to balance despite everything.

Judging by the disbelieving noise Lance made from the other end he’d heard. “Aw, Keithy, am I your favourite?”

“Not anymore.”

“You hurt me!”

“My goal in life.”

* * *

He jumped backward, as the Galra’s sword got stuck in the ground. “Lance! Free shot!” Keith called and Lance whirled around, there was a quiet _pop_ and the Galra soldier fell to the ground.

Keith gave a grateful smile at Lance before someone lunged at him, Keith grit his teeth and swung his own sword. It met its mark and he twisted the sword so the Galra’s hit the ground with a _thump._

He was familiar with the feeling of a fight. Eighteen years of it and it had become another part of him. The racing heart, thumping in his chest, trying to get out, because his heart would be safer anywhere else and was trying to ensure its survival. Energy, filling every nerve and vein in his body, powering him when normally he’d be exhausted.

The ache in his muscles, the longer he fought the more the aching became apparent. Dragging down on every movement, slowing him down, trying to be the only thing that Keith was focused on, when really he was focusing on breathing and living. Despite how close the swords got, he didn’t falter.

He swung like the sword was another body part, he ducked and weaved out of the way like he’d been doing it before he walked. Fights were ugly, they were painful and hard and there was always the overarching threat of death, to take it all away. 

But there was also life in his fights, it was why he fought. To breathe another day, so others could breathe easier and they’d never know having to fight until your muscles seemed to shrivel up inside of you.

With a yell he jumped over a sweeping swing. Before ducking under the Galra’s outstretched arm and imbedding his sword in it. With a sickening squelching sound which Keith had gotten used to, but that didn’t stop the sound from replaying in his head late at night.

Another Galra approached, teeth gnashing and face set into a frown. Lance made a noise, an instinctual noise that Keith was all too familiar with and he looked over. 

A Galra fell at his feet, and there was a long scratch on his helmet. Lance however, was fine.

Keith forgot all about the approaching Galra soldier.

So when his bayard got thrown out of his hands he whipped his head around. Finally looking at the bigger threat, and instead of having a sword ploughed through his stomach. He was lifted up off his feet and held in a chokehold.

One arm around his neck, squeezing too much.

“Blue paladin,” the Galra soldier snapped and Lance spun around so quickly that he must’ve hurt his neck doing it. 

Lance’s steady hands, always steady when his finger curled around the trigger faltered. His rifle pointed down slightly. Before lining up with the Galra’s soldiers head, which also happened to be where Keith’s head was situated.

“Lance,” Keith managed through the squeezing hold on his neck. “Take the shot.”

“What? No!”

“Take. The. Shot.” Keith spat, “It’s better one of us come out alive than neither of us.”

“I don’t care,” Lance snapped, “I’m not going to shoot through you.”

“Lance.”

“I’m not doing it mullet.” Lance’s voice didn’t have the slightest hesitation in it. 

The grip on Keith’s neck tightened and he winced at it, Lance winced more at it and his hands shook a little.

“I swear to God, Lance. We have pods. I’ll survive.”

* * *

They landed on the designated spots. Which should’ve been a red flag straight away. Keith adjusted his helmet and then adjusted Lance’s, who smiled gratefully and then flicked the side of Keith’s helmet and walked up to the small group of people waiting for them.

There were various hellos and greetings, and Lance started charming them. Almost automatically. The thing about Lance was that he was confident smiles and bold statements and stances. Half of the time it didn’t seem that he noticed he was charming and befriending everyone until someone else called him out on it.

“Our leader would like to see you.” The alien thing, which looked like one of the aliens from Toy Story, except with duller skin and they were wearing rags more than anything else. “There yous are to discuss.”

Lance waited a few seconds, waiting for Keith to catch up. “Diplomatic meeting, you’re going to do great.”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t punch any Kings in the face.”

“One time,” Keith muttered.

“One time too many,” Lance responded and Keith just sighed.

They followed the Toy-Story Aliens into a dirt hut, with a grass on the bottom which sprung under their feet. If Keith fell on this it wouldn’t hurt, not even a little bit. It was coushiny, like a trampoline.

There was an echoing voice, as something rose up out of the ground. “Who are you?” The voice said, and Keith didn’t know what the voice had to echo off of. So glanced around to try and find why his voice was doing that. Dirt didn’t make a voice echoey. Neither did a soft ground.

It was probably just an alien thing, but still, the laws of physics applied everywhere. Until they didn’t. Keith dismissed it, but Lance looked thoughtful too. 

“Who are you?” The voice repeated again, less dramatic this time and more tired than anything else. 

“Uh, Voltron people?” Keith said and Lance sighed next to him. “Paladins.”

Lance sighed again, “What he means to say, is that we were called here. So how can we be of assistance?” He smiled politely and Keith was sure that the shadowy, echoey figure that seemed to be the ruler was swooning.

“Oh. Now I feel bad,” the shadow-ruler said. “I’m sure you’re lovely but—”

Then the Galra soldiers basically tore the hut apart and Lance were back to back, bayards at the ready before they were even through the dirt. Keith sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Oh, how he was right.

* * *

“Lance!” Keith yelped. “Just take the shot—” his speaking was cut off by an arm being pushed into his windpipe, and a gurgle came out of his throat. An ugly, ugly noise which was filled with desperation.

“He’s quite pretty,” the soldier purred into his ear and Keith’s entire body froze, and ice had to have been injected into his veins because the way he felt that cold was if he had actual water ice (not the drug) injected into his veins. “Maybe I won’t kill him.”

“I’d rather die,” Keith choked out. He tried to connect to Red.

_Red, you need to run, go get help. Please!_

Lance was shaking more now. “Let him go,” he said, his tone so low that if it was directed at Keith he would’ve done whatever he said. “Now.” He spat and the grip on Keith’s throat loosened, not a lot. But enough so that he gasped for air.

Keith was staring at his bayard, it was too far away for Lance to grab and throw to him. But it was still the sword. If he could get the sword into his hand, he could get free. He tried reaching out for it, no matter how futile and dumb it would be. He’d rather die looking silly for a chance, rather than look cool when the solution was in front of him.

“Let go of him,” Lance repeated, his voice steady. “You think I haven’t thought of ten ways that your brains can be on the floor right now. And you’d be right, I’ve thought of twenty.”

They didn’t let go of Keith.

“Thirty.” Lance responded, his eyes scanning around like they did when he needed to snipe people. He could see the cogs working in Lance’s brain, trying to come up with a plan. His eyebrows furrowed and the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Forty. Wow, this is easy, I’d just let him go if you value your head.”

He was stalling. Keith could tell, but it seemed with Lance he could tell most of his body language and expressions. “Fifty-three.”

“Huh?” The Galra said.

There was a shot and the Galra screamed out in pain, dropping Keith who scrambled onto his feet and grabbed his bayard. Holding it in front of him and glaring. Lance shot again and the Galra crumpled.

“Are you alright?” Lance asked, as Keith walked around him, so they could look at the enemies on all sides. Their backs pressed together.

“Fine.”

“It’ll probably bruise.”

“I know.”

They stayed silent, watching the remaining Galra soldiers. They’d thinned them out quite a lot, but if they were smart they’d combine their efforts and just jump on them. Or grab Keith again. They would’ve learnt not to hesitate, because that’s what got Keith out of that Galra’s grip.

“We need to get a message back to the castle.” Lance said.

“I’m trying to send Red back.”

“I’ll try to send Blue back.”

A few seconds later there was a whooshing noise, and Blue knocked a few Galra soldiers before blasting off into the sky. Keith watched until Blue became a threat and then grit his teeth.

The fact that Red stayed put while Blue went couldn’t have meant anything good. Keith ignored the pit in his stomach as Lance fired and Keith leapt forward, swinging his sword.

While fighting was like a headache, sometimes there and when it was it was strong. Running was different. All he was good at was fighting and running, it was why he was a good pilot and a good paladin. He’d been fighting and running since he was young, and would probably be fighting and running until his last breath.

Running was a hum, always there, softly, coaxing him. Telling him late at night that running was a good idea. While fighting was loud, fighting came with a powerpoint presentation and several drums. Running drummed quietly, as background music.

But background music when there’s nothing else is dangerous.

He brought his sword down and it got stuck in the Galra’s body. Looking up and slightly frantically he tried to pull it out of the body as another soldier ran at him. At the last second Keith gave up and dove away, watching the soldier skid on the red dirt.

Grabbing the sword again he yanked on it, but it stayed there. Why was his luck this awful? “Lance! I need some cover!” Keith called out.

“I got you buddy!” He called back.

After a few more tugs Keith managed to pull the sword out of the body and swing it just in time so his head wasn’t sliced off. _Close. Too close._

_Nah shit!_

“Hey Keith!” Lance called out.

“I’m a bit busy!”

“What’s your favourite food?”

He threw himself to the side as a sword landed where his head had just been. “Uh…” he ducked another swing. “Grilled cheese.”

“Basic!”

“What’s yours then, you man of cultu— ah!” He threw himself backwards with more force than needed. Hitting the back of his head on the ground. “I’m good,” he decided before standing back up.

Disarming a Galra and shoving the sword into their side.

“Garlic knots!” Lance replied, his voice a bit frantic. “Favourite colour?”

“I’m a bit preoccupied!” Keith yelled, as a punch hit him in the side of the face and he went sprawling to the ground. Pain shot through his cheek and he groaned as he stood back up. “But it’s dark blue, why?”

“Curious! Oh mierda…” Lance trailed off, “Keith, I think I’ve been stabbed.”

“What?” Keith turned his head to Lance before he could stop himself. Sure enough, there was a sword stuck in his stomach. Keith gulped, before swinging his sword.

He felt, pure and unfiltered fear. His heart was thumping harder somehow and his body felt worse than before. Colder than before, late stages of hypothermia cold. Slicing through his current opponent, he was at Lance’s side before he could reason this.

“Oh God,” he had more he wanted to say, but the words got stuck in his throat. In his gut, he knew that Lance would die unless someone came right now. The sword was basically going through his body.

If he moved too much the sword would slice his insides open. He was going to die if Keith couldn't think of something quickly, and much to his disgust he thought of something. And quickly. Keith looked at Lance before looking up at the Galra. Lance felt what he was doing before Keith had even opened his mouth.

“Keith. Don’t be a fucking idiot.”

Keith decided to be a fucking idiot, because Lance was on the line and if something happened to him he wouldn’t forgive himself. 

He threw his sword on the ground. “Get him medical help, and I’ll come with you.”

* * *

“Never bargain with Galra,” Allura had said one movie night. Lounging on the couch, her feet on Keith’s lap who really didn’t even notice. “You just end up losing anyway.”

“Why would we?” Pidge asked, “It’s a deathtrap. You know that they’re gonna backstab you.”

Keith ignored them in favour of the movie.

Right now he was wishing he at least listened to that conversation. Because he wasn’t supposed to bargain with Galra and he had all his chips on the table. When it came to anyone on the team he was an idiot, he’d make sure they lived even at the cost of his own life.

_You’re an idiot Kogane._

He knew that.

Leaning his head back, it met the metal wall of whatever ship they were on. It was cool, and a purplish metal, because apparently the Galra committed to the aesthetic even if it wasn’t practical. Which Keith could appreciate.

There was water, dripping steadily from the corner of the room. Constantly, which was probably for Keith to drink. The water was slightly yellow, and Keith didn’t even know if it was water or not, which he didn’t want to risk. No space diseases here.

He waited, because the Galra were fixing Lance, that was part of the deal. Then Keith would find a way to escape and then get yelled at by Allura and Shiro and probably Hunk too when they got back.

He could basically envision it already, Allura showing disappointment and Shiro sighing but understanding, because he’d do the same for any of them. Even if he denied it to the world's end, Shiro would’ve done the exact same thing.

Turns out the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

There was a noise outside his cell and Keith sat up, scanning around, looking for anything that could be a weapon. The only thing was a pipe that he’d have to rip off the wall to use even remotely. Standing, Keith walked forward to the bars, trying to peer out to see as much as he could.

“I’m going to kill him,” Lance’s voice was muttering and Keith cringed a little. Before sitting back down against the wall. His legs folded under him and his hands in his lap. Waiting.

The footsteps got louder and the cell door parted, Lance stumbled in his hands tied behind his back and Keith caught him, before sitting him down on the floor. “Are you alright?”

“I am going to kill you,” Lance responded, glaring at him.

“You would’ve done the same,” Keith said bluntly before going behind Lance’s back and looking at his wrists bound together with rope, they weren’t overly tight and looked like they were done easily enough that someone else could undo them. 

Which he did and the rope fell to the ground.

“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Lance snapped, rubbing his wrists. “When we get outta here I’m going to kill you.”

“Looking forward to it,” Keith walked to the bars. Sticking his head up to the bars in order to try and see what was around them.

“Don’t ignore me!”

Keith ignored him.

“I’m your only company here! If we’re fighting that means our time here is going to be very boring. Stop ignoring me.”

Keith didn’t stop ignoring him.

“Most Galra ships have their prison cells by the engine system right?” Keith asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the bars. 

“We’re in a cargo ship, cargo ships only have one cell and they’re not meant to be used that frequently,” Lance finished and Keith just looked at him mouth agape. “I got cartered all around this place, it’s a cargo ship. That means through that wall,” he pointed to the left wall. “Is the engine room.”

“If we can knock out the engine…” Keith trailed off as realisation dawned on Lance’s face.

“Red’s onboard,” Lance finished, “She’s in the cargo bay. We could just— get to her and cause mayhem. If we assume this is a regular cargo ship then it’s up the hall and through a door.”

“You’re incredible.”

“Yeah and then we open the door and— wait what?”

“You’ve memorised the layout of a Galra cargo ship. That’s incredible.” Keith said, and if he wasn’t mistaken he thought Lance’s cheeks were slightly redder than usual.

“Yeah, yeah, flattery won’t stop me from killing you. What you did was so stupid.”

“You would’ve done the exact same thing.”

“Still,” Lance waved a hand, “I will murder you.”

“Counting on it Sharpshooter.”

Lance rolled his eyes before tapping the wall. Then tapping somewhere else, Keith just watched him. Enthralled with the way he listened carefully, before moving somewhere else and tapping again.

He watched and Lance looked at him, slightly fond but more annoyed than fond. “Aren’t you gonna help me?”

There were footsteps nearby and Lance sat down against the wall and Keith basically dropped to the floor. Shuffling back against the wall.

“I’m just saying that hippos aren’t the best animal,” Lance reasoned.

Oh, they were doing this then? Okay.

“What? Yeah they are! They plod around and they’re deadly and will murder you if you look at them wrong, everyone thinks their so cute, but they’ll end your bloodline—” The door swung open and a Galra soldier stood there. 

The soldier stepped into the room, scanning the pair of them before taking a step towards Keith and yanking him up by his hair, Lance repressed the noise that Keith could tell he wanted to make. Keith didn’t make a noise, you got your hair yanked once by foster kids and you stopped making noises when your hair got yanked.

“Come,” the soldier barked at Lance who was on his feet impossibly quick and trailing behind Keith, who now had a knife pointed at his back. He didn’t dare glance around, that was a deathtrap for sure.

They’d perceive it as a threat and Keith would get stabbed in the back. There were only so many times you could pull the ‘medical assistance and I’ll do whatever you want’ trick before they realised that you were playing them for what you wanted. Keith knew how to play these games, it was what his foster-care and year on the street and year alone were. Playing games and then backing out before the other knew that they were even playing.

He was good at it.

Lance’s footsteps were scuffing against the floor. Grabbing Keith instead of Lance was a mistake, while Keith had no memory he knew that Lance was scanning every door and every hallway for something that would help him. Sometimes it would just hit how smart Lance really was, and in those times Keith was nothing but amazed at some of the stuff that Lance knew and remembered. 

Lance was good at that.

There was a reason they made a good team.

Nothing was said, just the scuffle of nervous footsteps from all parties involved. If Lance acted Keith would follow, if Keith acted Lance would follow. Yet neither of them acted. Just letting the silence surround them, as their heads bursted with plans.

A hallway stretched into a large room. With what appeared to be a shower steaming in the corner. A chair, some rope and another door on the far side of the room that opened up to who knew where. 

“Dios mio,” Lance said, but it was more of a breath, so quiet that if Keith hadn’t been listening to it, it would’ve been lost in the whirring and movement of the Galra tech. Keith was shoved to the ground and caught himself as Lance rushed over to him.

The door closed and the soldier left.

“Where are we?” Keith asked, looking around. It looked the same as every other Galra room too, no unique markings or anything. Just the shower looking thing, which was running, water splashed up. The amount of steam coming off of the water was just impressive.

“It’s a torture device,” Lance said quietly, looking down at his hands. “It’s boiling hot water… Galra deal with heat much better than humans, their burns heal way quicker. You can submerge a Galra in the water and it’ll hurt and a lot, but being submerged will kill a human.”

“They know that,” Keith ran a hand through his hair. “They know that, we’re no use dead.”

Lance nodded, “Yeah, yeah… if they kill one of us the other will go ballistic. They know that, and killing us both is impractical. Then they have martyrs.”

“We’ll be fine,” Keith concluded. Whether he was trying to convince himself or Lance or a bit of both he didn’t know.

“Oh,” came a new voice, high and almost squeaking. “Will you now?”

The door opened and who Keith assumed was the captain of the ship entered. His uniform was slightly different, and his eyes were happy, joyous at capturing two of the five paladins apparently. Who were now going to get tortured.

Fantastic.

Two soldiers entered next to him, smiling and showing off teeth that were too sharp to just be for decoration. One of the soldiers, the one on the captains left, had a gold looking earring. That soldier was looking Keith up and down like he was a three course meal and the soldier was going to starve.

“They were right,” Earring purred. “He’s stunning.”

Lance stiffened next to him and Ketih avoided the urge or even the need to shudder. Sitting there with his face as blank as possible. He glanced at Lance, telling him that he was okay the best he could with his eyes. 

Earring walked forward and grabbed Keith by the chin, Lance winced next to him but Keith didn’t give Earring that satisfaction and they let go before walking back to the captain who was eyeing them both up.

What were they? Meat?

“Tie the blue one to the chair,” the captain snapped and Keith felt his stomach drop. “Blue paladin, I’m not supposed to kill you, but if the red paladin accidentally slips into the boiling hot water… it would simply just be an accident.”

Keith laughed loudly and everyone looked at him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled looking down at the floor and Lance looked like he was about to stab Keith multiple times, but that didn’t stop Keith from smiling at the floor.

The soldiers just lifted Lance up, the same way Keith used to lift up rubbish, with ease. They put him on the chair and if anything Lance looked bored. The boredom was hiding fear, very well too, Keith needed a double take to tell that Lance was terrified. He didn’t think Lance’s fear was for himself.

After they tied up Lance, they picked Keith up and basically passed him to the captain. This was how people passed babies around, right? 

“Okay blue paladin, I have things I want to know.”

“Everyone always wants something,” Lance deadpanned. “How about, you don’t do that, and you let us go. That would be quite convenient.”

“I’m not one for convenience,” the captain snapped.

Of course he wasn’t.

Keith got led over to the shower thing and froze almost completely. So they were doing this then? 

_Cool, cool, cool, cool._

“Oh fuck,” Lance muttered behind him and that really set the entire mood of this thing.

He was going to get half his face burnt off. Wasn’t he? They had taken the easy mission! Getting part of your face burnt off in boiling hot water, was not easy! Keith repressed the urge to cry or groan or just go limp and let them throw him into the water.

The water was rushing right in front of his face, the steam and heat was already radiating off of it, already heating up Keith’s face which he knew would be bright red even without the burns he was probably about to get. Everyone was quiet, all the sounds were breathing, Keith’s forced calm breathing and Lance’s clearly less calm breathing.

“He has such a pretty face,” the captain held onto Keith tighter. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to it. So everytime you answer a question he gets moved a little bit back, everytime you don’t he gets a little bit closer.”

Oh. God.

Keith could basically feel Lance panicking behind him, maybe trying to undo his restraints, or maybe just sitting there wordless and helpless because if the situations were reversed Keith would be freaking the fuck out. In fact, he’s freaking the fuck out and the situations aren’t reversed.

“So, where is your lion, blue one?” The captain asked.

It was silent too long and Keith got jerked forward a little.

“Let me ask again, where is your lion?”

“At our base!” Lance yelled, “My lion flew back to our base.” The panic in Lance’s voice was real, and desperate and that was freaking Keith out even more. 

“Where is your base?” The captain snapped.

“It moves, it’s a spaceship.”

Keith got moved back more. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, once he got enough distance to be able to lunge back, he could get his feet up on the wall next to the boiling hot shower and then throw himself back.

More room, he still needed more room.

Then Keith got lurched forward and he felt water hit his face, he heard the sizzle of his skin, like hot oil and he cried out. It felt like fire under his skin, moving and burning, even though he wasn’t in the way of the water anymore. 

“What was that for?” Lance cried out. “I’m answering all of your questions!”

“Just a reminder,” the captain drawled, “Of what happens if you don’t.”

It hurt. It hurt like a sunburn but at least a thousand times worse. It was all over and unrelenting. It was all he could focus on, somewhere at the back of his mind he knew he needed to focus. He knew that he was about to get a chance to kick off.

The pain. Was so much.

_Keith,_ the familiar kind voice in his head said. The part of his brain which sounded a bit like Adam and a bit like his father. _You need to focus. Pain is temporary.”_

Pain was temporary. Pain was temporary.

“How do the bayards work?” The captain asked.

“Some magic space gibberish, I really don’t know,” Lance said and Keith got moved back a bit more still. He was good, to kick off the wall. 

Pain. Pain. Pain. Maybe it was temporary, but it hurt so bad.

He took a deep breath. Lance heard it, that was the signal.

Then with a burst of energy he threw his feet so they were on the wall and pushed off. Landing on top of the captain who gasped as Keith landed a punch at the captain’s nose before stumbling off.

“Bayards are on the table,” Lance said quickly. Standing up despite still being tied to the chair, before swinging it at one of the soldiers. “Go!”

Keith stumbled over to a table he hadn’t even noticed, picking up his bayard and grabbing Lance’s too for good measure. There was a snap and Keith whipped around, the chair was broken on the floor and one of the soldiers was also on the floor.

His bayard shifted, it was a gun. Keith paused, looking at it. He didn’t know how to use a gun. “Be a sword, be a sword, be a sword!” He was shaking the gun back and forth, eventually it relented and shifted into the sword that Keith knew.

The captain had gotten up and was staggering towards Keith, nose bloody and eyes dark with fury. He swung at Keith, a lazy swing (it seemed nice to call a swing at all), he ducked it easily darting out of the way.

Lance cried out and Keith spun to look at him, he had a chair leg in his hands and was swinging it like a baseball bat. Even more shockingly, he was doing quite well for someone without a bayard.

Then Keith lost drip on his sword as it was yanked out of his hand, he felt the empty air and looked at the captain, who was smiling maniacally and walking towards Lance. His footsteps strong and bold as he walked.

“Lance!” Keith cried out. He looked over, to see the captain smiling.

The sword was thrusted forward and into Lance’s stomach. Who gasped. It was removed and shining with Lance’s blood, in a way that would haunt Keith in his dreams. 

Walking back the captain smiled, before raising the sword over his head. Lance could only watch, still clutching his stomach. 

It started swinging, “No!” Keith yelled. There was a bright red light and the sword was…

It was back in his hand.

What?  
  


Everyone stared for a bit, Keith included paused.

What was that?

“What the fuck?” Lance whispered, even though it came out as slightly strained.

Keith lunged forward. Knocking the captain back with a well placed kick, he passed Lance his bayard before his sword shifted into the gun.

Which Keith fired immediately, thanks to the short range it hit and the captain crumpled to the ground a purple, blue blood pooling out on the ground as Keith turned to the soldiers. His hands too steady and his eyes too mad.

“You either run. Right now. Or I kill you.” He snapped. “Make your choice now.”

Earring ran, which wasn’t shocking. Spinning around and bolting it. The other lunged with a sword and Keith deflected it with his own, which shifted back just in time. He swung and deflected. Before eventually ramming the sword through their chest.

He pulled the sword out, blue blood mixing with Lance’s red.

Before turning around to Lance who was wheezing, hand on his stomach. As his hand was painted an ugly, terrifying red colour. Keith was at Lance’s side straight away, panicking. To say the least.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck,” Keith murmured.

“You’re Southern?” Lance asked dopiley, his smile too lazy and his face too relaxed. Keith in turn, decided to panic a bit more. 

“I’m from Texas,” Keith supplied, before glancing around at any materials he could use to stop the bleeding. The captain was wearing a jacket. “Yes, I’m Southern.”

“Ya don’t sound Southern, only just then.”

Keith held his hands to Lance’s stomach, as he gave the room a proper scan. The jacket was an option, but stealing a jacket from a dead person felt a bit disrespectful. Who was he kidding? Keith didn’t have morals, and it wasn’t like the guy needed it anymore.

“You’ve been Southern this whole time?” Lance asked.

He stood up, taking a few short steps before ripping the jacket off the guy and walking back over. Man-handling Lance into a sitting position before tying the jacket around his stomach. It was too tight, but better too tight than bleeding out.

“Do you like sweet tea?” Lance teased, showing off his teeth as he smiled. “Can you say howdy for me?”

“Howdy,” Keith muttered and Lance erupted into giggles. “Okay Lance, we’re gonna move you tah Red.”

“Oh!” Lance was smiling, bouncing up and down until Keith put his hands on his shoulders to keep him from bouncing and potentially messing up the limited first-aid that Lance currently had. “I know where that is.” 

His eyes widened comically large, and he pushed Keith out of the way. There was a crunch and a squelching noise that Keith knew was the sound of someone getting stabbed in the stomach. 

For the third time in less hours, Lance had a sword in his stomach.

Keith scrambled for his bayard before swinging at the Galra, resulting in a clean slice to the neck and they went down. He turned around to Lance who looked slightly inconvenienced by this situation. 

“Okay we need to leave,” Keith said, “Can you walk?”

Lance just flopped onto the ground in response. And Keith caught him before he could actually hit the ground. “Okay,” he said softly. “I am mad at you right now.”

“I’m mad at you,” Lance responded, sleepily. Keith picked Lance up, who was surprisingly light. Lance laughed. “Is this another bonding moment?”

“I think we’ve bonded enough,” Keith replied, “Where’s Red?”

“Out the left door,” Lance responded. “There is a lot of blood.”

There was a lot of blood. All over his own hands and coating Lance’s hands like a second skin. With a gulp Keith nodded, holding his hand to Lance’s stomach as they struggled to the door which opened for them.

Sure enough, there was Red. In all his glory. 

His mouth opened and Keith staggered in, putting Lance on the floor. Who’s eyes were fluttering closed. “No, no, no, stay with me Lance McClain.”

“M’ ‘wake,” Lance groaned back.

Keith scrambled over to the controls, before Red roared to life and Keith just went straight through a wall. Lance groaned in the background. Looking over his shoulder Keith watched as red covered his floor.

They had spare helmets in here, Keith looked under his seat. Finding the helmet that he needed and shoving it on his head, he had no idea where his other one had gone and he didn’t really want to know.

“Allura, are you there? This is Keith.”

_“Keith!”_ Pidge’s voice responded, _“What’s taking so long?”_

“How long has it been?”

_“A while.”_

“Lance is bleedin' a lot. We needa pod.”

_“What?”_ Pidge screeched, _“Why is he bleeding?”_

“He’s been stabbed,” Keith shot back. “Tell Coran to getta pod ready.”

_“Are you good?”_

“Yeah. He took the bad hits for mah…” Keith trailed off and looked behind him. “Pidge, where would I find the first aid kit?” He stood up and started looking.

_“Under your chair,”_ There was a pause. Pidge’s yelling was a bit more distant, _“Coran! We need a pod, right now! Lance is bleeding out!”_

Looking under his chair, Keith dragged out the first-aid-kit before finding the first bandage that he could find and rushing back over to Lance. Who looked like he was about to go to sleep. 

“Stay awake Sharpshooter, we need you,” he forced his voice to be calm. When inside all he was doing was screaming. “I need you dipshit.”

He sat Lance up, before wrapping around the bandage as much as he could, not caring when Lance argued that it was too tight. “What ‘appened to the burn?” Lance reached up to him, his hand resting where Keith assumed had been burnt. “It’s not burnt anymore.”

_“Galra deal with heat much better than humans, their burns heal way quicker,”_ Lance had said before. Now Keith must have been healed. Oh God. No way.

“I think you’re making something up, buddy,” Keith forced out, “You’re the only one who got hurt.”

“No,” Lance’s eyebrows scrunched together, “You did too.”

“Well then where’s the mark?” Keith struggled, lying to Lance wasn’t something he wanted to do. If Lance knew that about the Galra. If Keith really was at least a little bit Galra, he’d figure it out quickly. “I didn’t get hurt.”

Lance hummed, “Good.”

Keith didn’t say anything. Instead opting to wrap various bandages around Lance, because more wouldn’t hurt and more would mean that he didn’t bleed out. 

_“Keith, how far are you?”_ Pidge’s voice barked through the helmet.

“A few minutes.” 

_“Speed this up.”_

“Will do,” Keith let go of Lance before scrambling back to Red’s controls. “Come on, we’re going home,” Keith muttered.

The rest of the day was a blur, there was scrambling and yelling and tears. Overall it was a mess, a blurry mess where Keith couldn’t remember a specific thing after scrambling back to Red’s controls and flying as fast as he could to get them home in time. Blood staining the floor and Keith's stomach lurching.

* * *

The next thing he was conscious of was sitting, on the couch. As Pidge and Shiro interrogated him on what happened. Essentially, it boiled down to the first thing Keith said, “Lance took a hit for me that he shouldn’t have.” And that’s it, the problem. Lance pushed him out of the way and got stabbed in the stomach for him. Even by Keith’s standards it was a dumb move, he already had a stab wound in the stomach. Keith was going to get stabbed in the back, which would’ve been fine. They could’ve made it like that, and then Lance’s blood wouldn’t be all over the floor of his lion.

“My bayard teleported,” Keith confessed quietly, “Someone took it and stabbed him with it, then they went to slice his head off and it was in my hands.”

Shiro and Pidge had just looked at each other. “Holy shit,” Pidge said, before Shiro nudged her. “Holy shit!”

“What?” Shiro said, looking about as panicked at Keith was feeling, “Is he dying?”

“No,” Pidge said, before looking at Keith, “I don’t think so.”

Keith just sighed, “Then what’s the deal Pidgeon?”

“Someone you cared about was in danger and your bayard reacted to that?” Pidge asked and Keith nodded slowly, “Right, so. Basically, I think that Lance also may have the potential to have a connection with Red.”

“What?”

“Think about it,” Pidge clapped her hands together and started pacing, up and down the floor in front of him. “Bayards have been known to teleport when their paladin was in danger. So if you were… I dunno, on the ground and your bayard was just out of your reach it could teleport to you.”

Keith nodded, Shiro did too behind her. 

“Now, if Lance has some sort of connection to Red. He could theoretically teleport the bayard to you if you or him were in trouble.”

“My bayard turned into a gun,” Keith added and that must have been the jackpot, because Pidge snapped her fingers before bouncing up and down on her heels.

Shiro’s mouth fell open. 

“Wait. So, Keith can pilot Red and Lance can pilot Red and Blue?” Shiro scrunched up his nose, “This seems unfair.”

Pidge sighed, “Yeah look, Lance has always been kinda… flexible, that sounds so wrong,” Pidge shuddered, “But y’know, he’s adaptable I suppose. So it makes sense.”

“Would Lance be able to pilot Red right now?” Keith asked, glancing out of the window, which revealed the endless expanse of space.

“No,” Pidge pushed up her glasses, “I think. Because while that’s great and all, it’s still not a proper, proper connection. I do however think, if you were in danger, Red would let Lance drive.”

“Right,” Keith flopped onto the couch. “Yeah okay.”

Shiro opened his mouth, before closing it and furrowing his eyebrows together. “Keith.”

“Yes?”

“Lance was talking about a burn, before he was put into the pod, about how you got burnt, it was all he was rambling about.”

Keith took a deep breath, before sitting up. “He was half conscious, do I look burnt?” He held his arms out either side of him to try and prove a point, which must have worked because Shiro looked less concerned, but it still wasn’t completely gone.

“Shiro, if I was hurt you’d know,” Keith reasoned. “Remember the time with the bike, you knew I was bleeding even when I was actively trying to hide it. As annoying as it is, you’d know if I was hurt.”

“I wouldn’t know if you’d healed by then.” Shiro added.

“How would I be healed?” Keith laughed, it sounded slightly fake and slightly forced. But bordering on hysterical.

“Did you ever know your Mom?”

“Yeah,” Keith lied, “Not for a long time, but I knew her.”

Keith was lying like he needed it to survive, and the fact that Shiro didn’t see right through him. It meant a few things, one he was convincing himself and two, that Shiro had no reason to see through him and call him out on his bullshit.

Shiro nodded before standing up, “Lance will be alright, you’re fine, well as fine as you’ll ever be and I’m pretty sure you hurt your ankle.”

“You fucker.”

* * *

They were sitting in front of the pod. Playing cards, Keith had crossed his legs underneath him and was focusing hard on the game. It was some space game that Allura and Coran were wrecking him at. Hunk and Pidge were also wrecking him, with their combined IQ of seven million.

Shiro wasn’t even playing, he’d raged when Allura had shown her cards and Shiro had proceeded to throw his cards and sit on the ground, arms crossed, pouting like it was all he could do.

“Shiro, you’re twenty-five,” Keith argued, “I did this when I was eleven.”

“You also flipped a table.”

“I also was eleven with anger issues,” Keith shot back, “You are not eleven, and you do not have anger issues.”

Pidge snorted at this and Hunk sighed. Allura and Coran looked at Pidge and Hunk. “What is an anger issue?” Allura asked.

“Keith,” Pidge responded blankly and Hunk nudged her a bit harder than he needed to, “What? There is no way he still doesn’t have anger issues, his favourite character died in one of the books he was reading and he threw the book and made a dent in the wall.”

“I liked that character!” Keith argued, pouting and crossing his arms.

“Didn’t you also need Coran to fix your helmet, because you threw it on the ground?”

“Okay fine!” Keith yelled, “I don’t process my feelings! Are you happy now Pidge?”

“And…” Pidge said, smiling ear to ear like the smug little gremlin that she was. One day, when she wasn’t a literal child Keith was going to punch her. Very hard. In the arm, because no matter how old she’d get she’d still always be the child of the group.

Keith couldn’t hurt Pidge if he tried. But still, he was going to at least pretend that he was going to punch her very hard in the arm in the future. With a dramatic sigh Keith glared at Pidge.

“And when a feeling gets complex I get mad.”

Pidge clicked her tongue, before putting her cards down.

Keith threw his cards at the ground and everyone laughed. Pidge laughed, Shiro cackled and everyone else seemed too nervous to laugh.

“I. Hate. This. Game.”

“You can’t be good at everything Keithy,” Shiro added before Pidge erupted into giggles. Keith stared at Shiro, his face blank and almost tired. Keith had less qualms about punching Shiro than Pidge.

“I hate you.”

They kept playing the game, which turned more into a therapy session for Keith, which was funny looking back on it. 

They’d moved, so that he was lying on the couch, Shiro with a notepad and pen, “For the meme!” Pidge had said. While the others lounged around.

Although the therapy wasn’t that effective because Keith was laughing too hard to say anything, this whole situation was ridiculous. He was in space, one of his best friends had almost died, he was talking to a space princess, and his brother had a space arm. So all of that, and a bit of hysterics led him to laugh so hard that his stomach was tearing at the sides and with how much it hurt he’d have to split open.

“And how does that make you feel?” Pidge asked between Keith’s laughing fits, which did about nothing to help and he continued to laugh until he couldn’t breathe. 

He was going to die here, laughing like this. There was the sound of something whirling, the exact sound a pod made when it opened. Keith sat up straight away, his face falling and he suddenly didn’t feel like laughing anymore.

Hunk caught Lance, “Hey buddy,” Hunk said softly.

“Where’s Keith?” Lance managed and Shiro scrambled up to hold Keith down.

Which knowing Keith was a wise move.

He shouldn’t have shoved Keith out of the way of that swing. He shouldn’t have taken that hit. It was an unbelievably stupid mistake, that could’ve killed Lance. Lance was an idiot and Keith was going to— to— do something.

Shiro went to grab Keith, and probably calm him down. He swiped at empty air as Keith vaulted over the back of the couch. “Fuck,” Shiro muttered.

Lance shouldn’t have taken that damn hit.

He was on his feet, his eyes furious and his steps loud and echoing around the rooms. “You fucking idiot!” His voice was furious, even he could hear that, it was however, cracking at the edges, threatening to break and reveal what Keith was really trying to hide. That he was scared. And he hadn’t been scared like that in a long time.

He was sick of losing people. He was scared.

Hunk’s eyes were wide, like a scared animal. Keith knew that look, it was when he scared people from when he was snapping. He knew it from his foster-families, he knew it from Garrison kids. He knew that look.

Lance managed to pry Hunk off him. Who was standing there, proud and tall, willing to put himself between Keith and Lance. Which Keith would’ve found admirable if he wasn’t about to explode.

“Keith,” Shiro warned, in a sharp voice. “Keith—”

Stopping in front of Lance, he grabbed the closest fabric he could get his hands on and slammed Lance against the now closed pod. As Lance just looked at him, not looking particularly scared, or particularly anything at all.

He knew that everyone else was scared, Hell, Keith was scared of himself when he got like this. He was going to— to— punch Lance, for being an idiot, the biggest idiot he knew and he knew plenty of idiots.

It was something about Lance’s eyes, blue and kind, even as Shiro tried to pry Keith away from Lance before he did something stupid. Lance looked soft, like Keith’s fist wasn’t in a tight ball and waving around in Lance’s face.

Something about those stupid eyes broke Keith in half. Like a goddamn glowstick.

His shoulders dropped, and he stumbled back a little bit covering his eyes. In a way that must have looked, hunched over covering his eyes. As his other arm wrapped around his stomach in what was supposed to try and help him calm down, but he cried even harder.

Warms arms were wrapping around him, and even without looking up he knew that it was Lance. “Hey,” Lance whispered, “I’m okay. We’re okay. You got me outta there.”

Keith cried harder if possible. Before flinging his arms around Lance and crying into his shoulder, as Lance rubbed circles on his back. Later he’d be embarrassed, not now. Because Lance was okay. They were okay, and Keith hadn’t felt this relieved since he found out Shiro was alive.

“Holy shit,” Pidge whispered somewhere in the background. “He can cry?”

“Pidge,” Shiro warned, and she didn’t say anything afterwards. So the warning must have sufficed. 

So Keith just stood there, maybe a bit awkwardly. His fingers digging into Lance’s back a little bit harder than he needed too, but neither of them said anything about it. Neither of them would say anything about it.

The others may have been there, Keith didn’t know. He didn’t care either, because right now it was just Keith and just Lance and that was enough. It didn’t matter if the world was ending or the universe was collapsing, because Keith wouldn’t move from this spot unless he was forced to.

“You can’t do that Lance,” Keith said through tears. Letting go of Lance who also let go of him. “You need to go home, you have people waiting for you.”

“So do you.”

“I really don’t,” Keith laughed. “The only person on Earth who might’ve wanted me didn’t want me before. They won’t want me now. You need to get back home, if I don’t… whatever, everyone who cares about me will know what happened.”

Lance just held Keith by the shoulders. “You deserve better than this,” Lance said softly. “You also deserve to get home, so what if no one’s waiting? You deserve to get the same shot at happiness and at the future as I do.”

Keith just laughed, a broken laugh which came out more as a sob rather than a laugh and Lance hugged him all over again, tighter as Keith laughed, but most of it was a sob, into his shoulder again.

* * *

Late at night, after the tears and the quiet dinner. As everyone appreciated that Lance was alive and that Keith did have feelings apart from rage. He lied in bed, staring at the roof above him.

_“You deserve better than this.”_ The words replayed in his head like a mantra. Beating and humming as Keith tried to get some sleep. They sparked something in his chest, something faint and pulsing. Which became stronger like a thumping that intertwined with his heart.

Looking back this was _the_ moment. The moment he realised, the moment he buried his head into the pillow. Because Keith could’ve handled a crush on Hunk or even Coran, but not Lance. 

Fantastic. The universe wouldn’t give him a break from anything. Because for some reason he had a crush on _Lance McClain,_ the biggest idiot he knew, on _the_ Lance McClain who was very not into him.

He’d said earlier, months that felt more like years ago that his type was anything that breathed apart from Keith. 

The universe wouldn’t let him rest. 

“Why Lance?” Keith murmured into his pillow. “Anyone but him, please. He almost died today, couldn’t it be someone who I don’t spend most of my time with? With someone where it doesn’t matter if we fall out. Why can't it be the biggest idiot I know?"

But no. It was Lance McClain. And he didn’t know it at the time, but it would always be him. “For fucks sake,” Keith muttered into his pillow. “I am an idiot.”

**Author's Note:**

> Boom! Keith finally figures out he has feelings for Lance. Also FYI, if you think they're going to get together anytime soon, you are so, so, so wrong. Just for future reference Lance doesn't even have a tiny bit of a crush on Keith right now. Not even the tiniest crush. Which is honestly a tragedy. 
> 
> Right now the only feelings Lance has towards Keith is he thinks that he's attractive, (he also thinks Allura and Shiro are attractive too though and nothing is going to happen there). Basically, you are in for more pining. If somehow possible. Which I made possible because I am a cruel, cruel person and I really want y'all to believe that Keith and Lance care for each other outside of being in love with each other. Because they do and I want you all to see that.
> 
> In better news, the next part is honestly kinda sweet. It features a funny chase scene (which while shortish I had so much fun writing) some light angst which barely counts as angst. Basically Keith flexes his stealing skills and everyone gets to send a message home.
> 
> So that's cute and I really, really, enjoy that concept and it may or may not feature Keith and Lance's Mom? In this economy? More likely than you think!


End file.
